Senecio barbertonicus flowering

The sweetly scented flowerheads of Senecio barbertonicus grow in branched clusters called corymbose panicles at the upper stem tips. Each flowerhead is narrowly bell-shaped, comprising a tight bunch of bright yellow disc florets. The florets are surrounded by eight involucral bracts with yellow veins. The flowerhead length from receptacle to disc is up to 1,3 cm and 4 mm in diameter. The individual flowers in the flat-topped disc are thinly tubular.

Flowering happens at the end of winter and early spring when not much else looks bright in the plant’s habitat. The dry winter grass and many other flowering species have usually not yet had rain and opportunity to respond at this time. S. barbertonicus plants showing yellow flowers above their green leaves in the wintery veld therefore have little competition for the services of pollinator insects, active around the food that is available.

Among the flowerheads in the photo some fruits covered in white hairs have already formed. The fruits are cylindrical and ribbed, covered by stiff hairs, as well as a pappus at one end comprised of many bristles (Germishuizen and Fabian, 1982; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; www.plantzafrica.com).